R. Rich

He's a young guy who is just coming into his own and realizing all the potential he has. Plus, he gets his All Pro center back healthy and adds another All Pro @ guard next to him. Given that, I fully expect McKinnie to have a Pro Bowl season for the Vikes.

Banks is a guy I can't tolerate on Sirius. He seems to be intent on being the guy who says things just to be a lightning rod for controversy (he's a big TO apologist). Yet another shining example of how great players don't always make great broadcasters.

Here's a few games I plan on watching/taping/tivo'ing. Auburn @ Mississippi State Two Auburn players in particular I plan on scouting: DE Quentin Groves and RB Kenny Irons. Washington @ Oklahoma I think AD (Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson) is set to have a great season. Vanderbilt @ Alabama 'Bama RB Kenneth Darby impressed me last year. I'm curious to see what he does this year. Air Force @ Tennessee I just gotta know if the Vols are as good as they appeared last week. Could be, as they had a nice recruiting class to add to a solid group of young players already on the roster. Ohio State @ Texas The top 2 teams in the nation, both loaded w/ talent, mix it up. Gotta see this one! ...and, of course......... PENN STATE @ "that school" It's been a long wait (14 years) to get payback on "that school". That payback is going to be tough to get, as the matchup favors them (experienced passing game vs inexperienced secondary). All I can do is hope for the best. Go JoePa!!! Enjoy the games....whichever ones you watch.

I missed that. Good thing I did. Anyone who would be ignorant enough to slam a record setting Hall of Famer like Marino and a guy who looks to be a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame when he retires like Manning is someone to be filed in the "consider the source" circular file.

Exactly. I've said it before; his WRs disappear in the crunch time situations. Marvin Harrison can get open all the time......until the playoffs, where he whines about the press coverage instead of just doing what he does all during the regular season. To make the blanket statement that Peyton Manning is the reason the Colts don't advance is false.

Wow. If I was putting together a team and could take any defensive player, I probably wouldn't take any of those guys. I'd take RICHard Seymour.

I put a premium on defensive players, and he's a very good one, but that may be a bit high. Is he the top defensive player? If so, that might be a bit high.

2 Days And Counting!!! 'til the season opener. Go Bills!! 16 Days And Counting!!! About 2 weeks from now, I should be enjoying a garbage plate @ Nick Tahou's. Looking forward to it!

It could be better. We're @ the physician stage now.

Well, given the (lack of) run blocking on the night, I can see why anyone would adopt a pass first attitude in that game. Hudson Houck (Miami's OL coach) got a lot of praise for getting these guys to overachieve last year; he should take as much blame for their performance last night. Ah yes: the essence of defending the pass in a 3-4 zone blitz, as very nicely described by KTFABD. Shots of "ta kill ya" are on me next time (Pats game, right?). Sounds like same old, same old, doesn't it? They just added Culpepper to the mix.

Considering Chambers had just 5 catches for 59 yards (a whopping 11.8 ypc avg; one of his catches was for 19 yards, so he averaged 10 yards on the others) and didn't score, I'd say Taylor did quite well. They decided not to press cover him for most of the game (smart move......ask Nate Clements what happens when you do press cover him) and limited his effectiveness after the catch.

I just refuse to join the "_____ sucks!" crowd simply because everyone else is in it. He's no great QB, but if he continues to work on the finer points, there's a chance he could become one.

Hahahahaha!!!!!

You must be. Deshea Townsend is the other corner for now, but he's basically keeping that spot warm for Bryant McFadden.

They mention McFadden's in NYC, but no shout out to the midget and the tall guy who run the Bills Backers up there? Great guys, and a nice organization they have there. I look forward to one day going to the Bills @ Jets game and hanging w/ the NYC backers again. Jimmy organized a bus trip for the Ravens game in '04.......yeah, but who organized two tailgates for games in Baltimore, and another upcoming this year? Actually, I like Jimmy, and he's a diehard fan. Great wings and beef on a weck @ his place, too.

To each his own, I guess. I wouldn't say I was "impressed" by Daunte. I just think that by going to his check downs and taking lesser gains, he's learning the little things needed to become an elite QB. Everyone knows you have a gun, Daunte. Now learn the other stuff. Ike Taylor can't cover? I'll bet Chad Johnson would beg to differ......though not in public. As I mentioned, by moving Taylor around, the entire OL had to be ready for him. Seeing Batch get hammered during the 2nd half, I'm willing to bet that using Taylor all over the front 7 in some way contributed. Agreed on the Saban stuff. Like I said, get over it.

If you singled out the NBA players who would travel all the time, you'd have about 6 guys left. One of the reasons many people (myself included) are so disappointed in the NBA nowadays is because of their sloppy play, ignoring the fundamentals (passing, shooting, free throws), and the punk a** mentality of many of today's superstars.

Well, you did say he showed up for a couple plays. The way I saw it, he was there for quite a few more. Thomas is good too. I just wish they'd chill about how "great" he is. The guy misses a ton of tackles by overpursuing so much. His aggressiveness is what makes him good, but also is a weakness when he takes himself out of position so much.

I agree w/ you about Miami being overhyped. It happens just about every year. Jason Taylor didn't pick up stats, but he was a guy they had to account for every play by the way he was used all over the front 7. Disguising where he was, I'm sure, had something to do w/ the pressure they were able to generate on Batch.

Considering the cushion the Steeler DBs were giving them, I do think Taylor did well. Chambers' completions were simple short routes where he undercut the coverage. Tough to stop that, unless you press, which Pittsburgh did little of. He did nothing to change the game, or to jump start their passing game. Taylor is still a work in progress, but I think he handled the assignment well last night.

Kinda. She didn't like how their OL let Batch get pummelled in the 2nd half.

I guess the things I saw that I liked were his willingness to take what they gave him (admittedly, moreso in the first half than the 2nd) and he did change up his throws a bit (didn't rely solely on his deep pass; put great touch on the one pass he completed early on, just over the reach of the defenders). He didn't look as good later on, but the fact that he's learning to live w/ the dink and dunk passes shows he's on the way to becoming a really good QB again. I agree w/ this statement, though: w/out Moss, he's average. That's true. Witness his 6 TDs against 12 picks last year before his injury. I just think they have to be encouraged by how he's going to 2nd and 3rd targets. Rome wasn't built in a day. Once he picks this stuff up, maybe he'll be what everyone thought he was in Minnesota.

Not the prettiest of games, but it had its moments. Culpepper looked pretty good, for the most part. Yeah, he threw 2 INTs, but both times the Steelers made excellent plays to come up w/ the turnover. Polamalu just closed as few safeties can to get the first one, and Porter dropped back beautifully to get the second one. Neither looked to be "stupid throws" when they left his hand. All in all, the Miami fans should be happy w/ Daunte's debut. Just not the results. Miami's offensive line looked pretty bad. L.J. Shelton was used and abused all evening by Porter and company. Vernon Carey got beat for a sack by Haggans (I think it was Haggans) once, and their interior guys had more than their share of problems dealing w/ Casey Hampton, the best NT and arguably the best interior DL in the league. Brett Keisel looked pretty good for Pittsburgh in his first start. His lead blocking on the INT allowed Porter to score the TD. The Steeler secondary, a huge weakness a few seasons ago, looked very good last night. Ike Taylor held his own against Chambers, and Bryant McFadden showed some good cover skills and big hitting ability. Polamalu was all over the place, as usual. Ryan Clark had a couple big hits as well, and didn't embarrass himself in coverage. Still, I wonder how long it will be before rookie Anthony Smith gets into the lineup. Santonio Holmes? Needs work on the fair catching. Wes Welker did to the Steelers what he does to a lot of teams. The guy is a difference maker on special teams, and really helped their sluggish offense get going also. Speaking of, has anyone seen Randy McMichael? My fantasy football team (well, one of them) has put out an APB for him. I hope he's okay, wherever he is. Jason Taylor was a handful too, but I thought it was funny how they were praising Zach Thomas (the little LB that could, blah blah blah...) right before he whiffed on yet another tackle, this time when Willie Parker broke through for that 35 yarder. The guy is good, but not legendary. Someone once compared him to Mike Singletary in passing conversation. I told the guy he should take his act on the road. I thought it was funny; I'm sure others would, too. Saban's "controversy" w/ the flag? Forget about it. Not much controversy in throwing a flag behind an official just seconds before the PAT try. Blame your staff for not relaying the information to you earlier, but please, let's not go into hysterics and spout off conspiracy theories. The ref didn't see it, you threw it ridiculously late, you didn't do anything to get their attention (you can leave the coaches' box to make them aware of the flag), so basically, you blew that one. Get over it.

Hahaha!!!

Excellent post. I particularly like the vCoach alert.